Arkansas Blog

Fire away

* The Arkansas attorney general's office fought the good fight, claiming that three totally distinct constitutional amendments could be wrapped up into one for this year's ballot because, well, they're all sort of about economic development and stuff. Terrible precedent, if the Supreme Court buys that oral argument today. But given politics, it could well happen given the magic mojo those two words — economic development — carry in the corridors of Arkansas power. We're with Eugene Sayre, the lawyer challenging:

“Economic development, it’s such a broad category, it’s not a category at all,” Sayre said. “They could put 50 together and say it’s economic development. It’s log rolling and the court has said log rolling is prohibited.”

* George Thompson of Cabot, a reputed bookie, was convicted on federal drug charges today. Lying ahead are further mob-related charges that include undue influence on North Little Rock city officials. Might a conviction send people looking for a plea bargain through testimony against public officials? It has been known to happen.